(CNN) – ‘Joe the Plumber’ Wurzelbacher told a group of journalists covering the conflict in Israel and Gaza that he didn’t think the media should be allowed to report on war.

“I think media should be abolished from, you know, reporting,” Wurzelbacher said. “You know, war is hell. And if you’re gonna sit there and say, ‘well, look at this atrocity,’ well you don’t know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it.”

Wurzelbacher arrived in Israel on Sunday to start a 10-day assignment for pjtv.com, a Web site run by the conservative media outlet Pajamas Media. The plumber-turned-foreign correspondent said he wanted to cover Israel’s side of the conflict, because he thought the media was slanting the story to make it look like “Israel’s being bad.”

In his first day as a reporter, Wurzelbacher described the hardships of daily life in the southern Israeli town of Sderot.

Wurzelbacher said he thought Israel should have attacked Gaza sooner. He told a group of reporters that he was a “peace-loving man,” but that "when someone hits me, I'm going to unload on the boy.”

He got a first-hand taste of reality in Sderot, when his group heard sirens warning of a rocket attack. With cameras rolling, Wurzelbacher and his group ran into a shelter.

“I’m in the bunker, I’m sitting there angry, outright furious, that I’m letting this terrorist dictate what I’m going to do because they’re firing missiles,” Wurzelbacher said. “It was fear at first, then outright anger, and then me wanting some kind of retribution. I’m not a person that runs from things, but when it’s a missile, you run.”

soundoff(1,513 Responses)

P. D.

Unreal. Who is this guy? Here he claims the MSM should be barred, and yet, he wants us to believe his account of what is going on? Thanks a lot McCain/Palin for foisting this buffoon on the American people. I think 'Good Ole Joe the Plumbers' fifteen minutes of fame are up.

January 12, 2009 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |

chuck

JOE I'LL GIVE YOU YOUR FINAL RITES FROM HERE-R-I-P.

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

Eric

What, Sarah Palin is on vacation or something so you had to find some other brainless twit to interview?

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

Mark Dover, Delaware

Joe the fake plumber/ reporter- Ban yourself from reporting. We don't want to hear from you ever again!

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

sammieb51

Wow, there really should be a law that could have him arrested for being stupid. Where to begin? Wow!! Pajama Media? Does that mean they will go back to sleep soon?

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

Onesided

Wurzelbacher should've studied up or at least read the Cliff Notes on the conflict before he landed...

Bet he wouldn't like living as a Palestinian under occupation either – constant checkpoints – can't move... His wife getting felt up by Israeli soldiers if she dares to grocery shop... Water and electricity turned off at whim. Medicine, food, NOTHING gets in... Oh yeah – and the WHOLE world seems to side with the ones doing this... Yep! It's great to be a Palestinian!

Completely simplistic and one sided – like Wurzelbacher himself!

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

jmv

WHAT AN IDIOT!!!! THANK YOU REPUBLICANS FOR THIS IDIOT!!!!

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

sammieb51

Wow, there really should be a law that could have him arrested for being stupid. Where to begin? Wow!! Pajama Media? Does that mean they will go back to sleep soon?

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

Ken Stokes

"Joe the Plumber" is a plumber, I'll consider his opinions on plumbing and the like, its becoming clear that the rest of what he says is just nonsense.

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

sammieb51

Wow, there really should be a law that could have him arrested for being stupid. Where to begin? Wow!! Pajama Media? Does that mean they will go back to sleep soon?

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

john

So the war reporter thinks no reporters should report on the war. Why is he there? Hmmmmm, publicity? this guy is a hack.

January 12, 2009 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

Michael

So, he doesn't believe that people should report on war. But, he's making this comment from a war-torn region of the world as he's reporting on the war. This seems consistent with his biography. A plumber who's not a plumber. A guy named Joe who's name isn't Joe. A tax payer who doesn't pay all of his taxes. And now, a war reporter who doesn't believe people should report war. To paraphrase George Costanza, this man's whole life is a lie.

This is truly the case of our sad American stupidity. "Not to report on war"??? War IS something we should UNDERSTAND, because if we don't, then IT SHOULD NOT BE GOING ON IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Joe-Dumb-Dumb seems to be happiest if he were to be living in a dictatorship, where people can be taken from anyone's home without telling you why, nor where they are taking them, nor for what reason.

January 12, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Oh No!

“I think media should be abolished from, you know, reporting,” Wurzelbacher said. “You know, war is hell. And if you’re gonna sit there and say, ‘well, look at this atrocity,’ well you don’t know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it.”
______________________________________________________

Good reporting Joe, very good reporting, you know.

January 12, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

MikeH

Hey Joe (not your real name), turn around and start walking towards that colum of smoke. Don't stop, just keep going. If you can, take the entire Pajama Media staff with you.

Just keep going, don't stop.

January 12, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

chuck

JOE I'LL GIVE YOU YOUR FINAL RITES FROM HERE--R–I–P.

January 12, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

DOC

CNN finds this credible enough to report on!??!

January 12, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

V

We have only McCain to blame for bringing this guy to us. Does he even make any sense? He doesn't want reporters covering wars and he is there as a foreign correspondent? Please CNN don't report on these clowns.

January 12, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Consuela

This guy is such a moron. People are dying on both sides of the fence and all he thinks about is planning his day, having a picnic or taking a shower? If he believes that the media has no business covering the war, what's is he doing there? GIVE ME A BREAK!!

January 12, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Ana

Ok, so CNN has just disapointed me with this one...
What qualifies this guy to make the news????? What does he know about anything???? Does he have any type of education ?
THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

January 12, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

JM

Who cares! He should go back to Ohio.

January 12, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Eric

What, Sarah Palin is on vacation or something so you had to find some other brainless twit to interview?

January 12, 2009 01:20 pm at 1:20 pm |

chuck

JOE I'LL GIVE YOU YOUR FINAL RITES FROM HERE--R–I–P.

January 12, 2009 01:20 pm at 1:20 pm |

sammieb51

Wow, there really should be a law that could have him arrested for being stupid. Where to begin? Wow!! Pajama Media? Does that mean they will go back to sleep soon?